Colorado State football can't waste effort in Alabama

Coach Jim McElwain wants to see effort repeated

FORT COLLINS - Colorado State was exposed on Saturday, just not in the way most people expected.

A nearly 40-point underdog heading to Tuscaloosa, the Rams walked away with more than just a $1.5 million appearance fee.

The program left with heads held high and dignity intact, falling 31-6 in a game that was 17-6 in favor of top-ranked Alabama with 15 minutes remaining.

Now comes the hard part for Colorado State.

Play like that again. Every week.

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"We played well against Alabama. Now it's staying consistent," running back Chris Nwoke said. "That's the word, doing those things we did against Alabama against UTEP and other teams to come. That's going to be us. It's going to be a lot about focus this week and being able to turn on that same button that we did for Alabama for UTEP."

The biggest travesty for the Rams would be to revert back to the team that looked sloppy in losses to Colorado and Tulsa. The message to the team from coach Jim McElwain is there is no going back.

With as well as Colorado State played in a 31-6 loss to No. 1 Alabama, coach Jim McElwain said it would be a wasted effort if they revert back to old ways.
(Butch Dill)

"As I told them, 'Look, you can't hide," he said early in his Monday press conference. "You've gone toe-to-toe with the best, so don't sit here after a game from here on out and tell me that was it us or was it them? That's the bottom line."

The team on the field looked different than earlier this year, and the players after the game had a much different take on the trip than did teams in the past. In 2004, when Colorado State was beaten 49-0 by No. 1 Southern California, there was nothing to be gained and the talk wasn't of shocking the world, but more in the vein of, who knows?

The players who met the press afterward lamented what could have been, because they convinced themselves they could.

"I think it was a different culture back then," Nwoke said. "Our culture now is we have that winning mindset no matter what. It's about those details and grinding for those small inches, those small yards that makes a difference and I think it showed on Saturday."

Mostly on defense. As Colorado State still works to find a consistent offensive push, the defense rallied pretty well, not allowing Alabama to convert on third down until the fourth quarter and limiting the Tide to just 66 yards rushing, 38 of which came on one play.

"It showed us that we could play with the best, the No. 1 team in the nation," linebacker Aaron Davis said. "It was good. We gained some confidence and we're ready to get on the field again next week."

A winning mindset is one thing, but when it comes short on wins, it's another. The team that played Alabama on Saturday has a chance from here on out. And McElwain will tell you the effort will be wasted if it was a one-and-done deal.

"And there's no reason to," he said. "I go back. This football team cannot hide. This coaching staff can't hide. We put sound game plans in all areas. The guys went and executed for the most part at a high level, in other words, a passionate effort, physical, all that kind of stuff.

"We are not talented enough to just show up and get an explosive play here and there and go win a game. We've got to play every single down with a passion and a vigor. We have to impose our will to get results every down. There weren't many downs that we didn't try. We got out-manned at times. That's going to happen no matter who you play. How you're going to let that affect you is the key."

The first signs will come on the practice field this week, McElwain said. The test will be Saturday against a UTEP team that is 1-2 and has had up-and-down performances.

"I can't give us that answer, so, what did we get out of it?" he asked. "We'll find out when we play UTEP. We'll find out how hard we work in the bye week. We'll find out when we start conference play."

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